Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-21

was old enough, he had sent him
away 20 sea in shin Of war.
IN MS thirteenth year as a Naval Cadet.
80 the Donnie brOwn-eYed boy babe g
tender and loving adieu 10 the Deoy
brother, Dick, VINO WIS ssleep il his
cradle, and to the sweet little orphan sis
ter, who cluDg SO lovingly 20 his neck
WGen ne departed-a boys ardOur MIN
glng with sense of desolation, Of lone
lneSs, the memory of home and familiar
1aces-departed, we say, on his iirst vOF-
age, toUerds the eastern land, where tie
graves OF his parents lay; and Uncle
GrImshaW hoped ne was rid OF him for
ever, st last
But i was not so-though Reggie rose
70 be suO-iieuterGnt-for g heavy fate
was before the poor Ikd.
He served with distinction gu -
twice wounded, with the Naval Brigade
in the Egyptian war, particularly at its
conclusion, in the burning Soudan, where
exposure in the tentless zerebas to the
cold and bsneful night dews gave dim an
inCurable disease in the thigh Joint, AID
he was invaded. He was 'surveYed,'
as it is technically called. at Malta, and
transmitted to Hsslar, where ne was-.o
use another navsI tecnnicality-'dis
charged to shore" with orders to seek
German baths, pay doctors bills, and
keep himself as best he might, without
8 farthing OF half-pay, as there
| is no such thing for naval sub-lieuten-
| ant, though Reggie had been acting
lieutenant of his ship, through death
vacancies in action. And so he was
discharged TO shore"-sent back on
/ Uncle GrimshaW's hands, q helpless,
hopeless creature, condemned to spend
his time between bed and . bath-chair TO
ruminate on his bIIghted life and the
glories Of that profession Of which John
| Bull is so proud, but like the shabby dog
ne is, likes TO get cheap
So Reggie's helplessness and her SIS
ter's devotion to him, proved eventually,
a terrible lever in ell the operations OF
! Uncle GrimshaW and Aunt ChilliHgton,
against "the c0ntumacy" of poor Me
LAME.
II, to g young man OF spirit, the bread
OF utter dependence is bitter enough,
however kind the hand that gives It, how
bitter Yves it TO the now helpless naval
officer,
CHAPTER IV.-THE sUB-LGEUTESAST.
On the first acceptance Of his love and
ring by Melanie, MONTAGUE Lonsdsle had
ct once, like 4 man of honour, paid
visit to Mr. Gideon GrimshaW, and
stated his hopes and intentions, snd what
the wishes of himself and Melaaie were.
Ia the interview that took place, the
/ handsome young soldier required all MS
! honest and frank confidence and all his
! bravery to aid his object, for Mr. Grim
| shaw kne-7 the wishes Of Mrs. Chilling
| ton, and Tat she had far other and more
ambitious views for I.elsnie than an
! alliance with c mere captain OF the line,
who had only his pay and "Indian allow
ances," whstever they might mean.
Mrs. Chillington had written to him
| glowing accounts of Melanie's conquests,
| Of the sensation she lad made and the
evident triumphs that were in store for
her, as she seemed 70 inherit the mar-
veIIous face end al the rare beauty and
! grace OF her mother. Thus. after letters
| TO shis purport, the visit OF Captain
! Lonsdale was terrible disappointment
and source Of disgust to the eX-citY men
for marriage like this meant the Ieav-
| ing OF her two brothers IN perpetuity
upon his, Uncle Grimshaw's, hands.
The latter, short, podgy,e end thick-set
man, had a nigh, bald, shining pate, with
two tufts of grizzIed hair, rather Ike
| lCrnS, WHICH StOOd SLlly ABOVE eacl ear /,
and these, when irritated, which was not
unfrequent, he was in the habit of aerv-
ously twisting or rasping up VITA his
! hands.
He had Bushy white eyebrows, snd his
pale or colorless eyes, were keen and
sharp and cold; mis- manner WAS blunt
and unsympathetic, born of long life
spent in narrow Birchin-lane (of ole
|
Lonsdale's cool information that Re
loved, and had won the love Of, his beau
tiful niece, together with the asked for
consent to their betrothal, put climax
to his disgust and annoyance.
"What sre your means? your expecta~
tons? Everyone has something OF that
kind" he asked bluntly, peering at his
/ Continued on Seth PGaSs